Sangiovese

Sangiovese

Amphora Wines

wine swirling in the glass - pixabay

The Dry Creek wineries produce a wider variety of wines and styles of wines than the traditional PN and Zin crowd along the Russian River. The Amphor tasting room location is in the same parking lot as 10 other wineries tasting rooms - right off Dry Creek Road. Stop at this location and you will be able to taste wines from Amphora, Collier Falls, Dashe, Forth, Philip Staley, Peterson, Lago di Merlo, Kokomo, Mietz and Papapietro.

Montoliva Vineyards & Winery

wine and cheese

Some of the original settlers of Chicago Park were first-generation Italian-Americans from Chicago, Illinois. The orchards and vineyards of Chicago Park bear witness to their quest to start a community in the untamed West that mirrored their homeland. Their spirit lives on at Montoliva Vineyard & Winery. Founded in 2000, Montoliva Vineyard & Winery creates Tuscan-inspired wines of uncommon depth and character.

Cantara Cellars

Entrance and sign for Cantara Cellars

Cantara Cellars is a tasting room producing a broad selection of award winning red and white wines located in the in the heart of Ventura County. Chris and Mike Brown’s winery specializes in producing wines from grapes they have selected from the Lodi Appellation in Northern California know for in Zinfandel and a host of other varietals. Each wine expresses both the passion for making fine wines, and enjoyment of the distinctive flavors found in Lodi grapes that this couple has a passion for. Cantara Cellars began in 2002 as a private winery at Mike and Chris Brown's Moorpark home. Beginning with just 250 pounds of Chardonnay hand harvested from Mike's parent's vineyards in Lodi California, they fermented their first 18 gallons of wine! Over the next few years they opened a public tasting room in October 2007. 

Hours:
Mon      Closed
Tues     Closed
Wed       3:00pm to  9:00pm
Thur      3:00pm to  9:00pm
Fri         3:00pm to 10:00pm
Sat      12:00pm to 10:00pm
Sun     12:00pm to  7:00pm

 

Du Vigne Winery

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

Since its inception in 2001, Due Vigne Winery has pioneered the production of hand-crafted Italian varietals, cultivated in carefully selected wine regions across California. The winery is committed to sourcing grapes from vineyards with distinct terroir, each suited to enhancing the characteristics of these varietals. From the high-elevation Sierra Foothills to the coastal and forest influences of Monterey County, every bottle of Due Vigne reflects the unique flavors of its terroir. The winery is centrally located in these renowned regions, situated at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, California, with a mission to create world-class Italian varietals nurtured in Californian soil.

Winemaker Ken Musso can often be found among the vineyards, tending to the rows, stirring the soil, and caring for the vines. His passion for Italian wines is driven by the terroir, or “sense of place,” and his meticulous attention to detail ensures that every bottle of Due Vigne is exceptional.

Ken Musso’s lifelong passion for winemaking began in his youth, inspired by observing his father and grandfather making wine in the basement of a historic San Francisco building. The sight and aroma of fermenting grapes left a lasting impression, strengthening his dedication to winemaking. This passion was further fueled when Ken and his cousin discovered several bottles of their grandfather’s last vintage, a 1937 Zinfandel, igniting his determination to uphold the family tradition.

In 1973, Ken embarked on a thirty-year career in firefighting, temporarily setting aside his winemaking aspirations until the establishment of Due Vigne in 2004. As a relatively new firefighter in 1975, Ken brought his first ton of Zinfandel home from Sonoma in his father’s car and fermented it in the garage, emulating his father and grandfather’s methods. The success of this wine among family and friends inspired him to seek out more grapes, ideally those he could grow himself.

Ken continued to produce wines for family and friends over thirty vintages while refining his winemaking skills through classes and seminars at UC Davis and other educational institutions. In 1995, Ken and his wife Ann realized their dream of establishing a vineyard by purchasing a five-acre parcel in Garden Valley, California, where they planted their acclaimed Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, and Sagrantino.

By 2004, Ken released his inaugural vintage of Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, and Cabernet Sauvignon under the Due Vigne label. Since then, Due Vigne has expanded to produce over 3,000 cases annually and offers more than 15 different varietals, many of which are rooted in the Sierra Foothills. Alongside his business partner, Nina Fadelli, Ken Musso has developed a portfolio of well-balanced, richly complex, and distinctive Italian varietals, all cultivated and grown in California’s fertile soil.

Miner Family Vineyards

glass of red wine - Pixabay

Location: A delightful tasting facility perched on the hillside that feels spacious and has a great view. Service: Knowledgeable and friendly staff, although this is hit and miss. The first gentleman who poured for us was very helpful, but then a brusque lady came along and stole our spit bucket that we were using and gave it to the couple she was attending. Wines: We had a $25 flight of 5 wines that came with the flexibility to pick any combination of the wines they were pouring. Miner does not produce estate wines and their grapes are sourced from third party vineyards. It was fun to compare the difference between the two styles of Chardonnay, one of which (2008 Chardonnay, "Wild Yeast") received more oak aging & malolactic fermentation % than the other (2010 Chardonnay, "Napa Valley").

Lange Twins Winery & Vineyard

Picture or the Lange Twins

For five generations our family has been growing sustainable winegrapes in the Lodi Appellation and in 2006 we opened a winery to showcase our passion for growing winegrapes – because great wine starts in the vineyard. Building on our successes as a vineyard management company, the winery was our first step into crafting wines made solely from our estate vineyards. Since opening in 2006, we have continued to expand our state-of-the-art winery to keep up with the demand for our LangeTwins wines as well as private labels and custom winemaking services. Unfortunately, our winery is closed for public tastings. If you are visiting the Lodi Appellation, please visit the Lodi Wine & Visitors Center to try our wines as well as other great Lodi selections.

Dobra Zemla Winery

cluster of grapes

Dobra Zemlja means "Good Earth" in Croatian. The winery was founded in 1997 and is situated in Amador County's historic Shenandoah Valley just off Hwy 49 and Hwy 16. The winery and tasting room are housed in a restored late-19th century facility with wine cave. The cave provides a perfect environment for storing wine barrels and tasting our wines. Visitors are always welcome to enjoy a picnic lunch, sip a bit of wine, or just sit and listen to the birds in our lovely, shaded picnic area. Dobra Zemlja specializes in Zinfandel, Syrah, Sangiovese, Barbera and Viognier.

Cougar Vineyard & Winery

Painting by Agata Zaborowski - enjoying wine with pet cat

They specialize in Italian varietals! But they have a number of non-Italian varietals too. And was really surprised at how much I enjoyed their White Cabernet. Yup... you heard right... WHITE CAB. It's light and refreshing.... fruity but not sweet.... on the dry side. It's a lovely rose to sit by the pool and relax with. Get a little bit of Italy while you are enjoying you Temecula Wine Tasting adventures.

B. R. Cohn Winery

Artwork by Wine Artist Agata Zaborowski – couple enjoying wine together

When we visited they had a vintage car display as well as lots of vendors selling their goods and offering food samples. The tasting room is quite large, and while there were lots of groups there, we did not have to wait too long for the tasting. They also have a separate olive oil and balsamic tasting room. B.R. Cohn is a large winery with retail distribution and they make wines using grapes not only from their local estate, but mostly from all over wine country.

Artwork by Wine Artist Agata Zaborowski – Agata Art Gallery  - Gallery | Agata Art Gallery

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